Have you ever met someone that you admired for being successful? I met a business person that I admire this week. He’s the CEO of a well-run corporation. I’ve read about him in business magazines. I stood in line to meet him after I heard him speak and had a chance to talk with him for a few mintues. In the conversation, I told him that I was impressed with his success and with all he’s accomplished – both in business and in charity. He looked me in the eyes and said, ” Most people think that anyone who is in my position is in some way different from everyone else. We’re not. I have a fairly normal life outside this business. I enjoy and don’t enjoy doing the same things as most people. I’m not smarter than most people. I’m certainly no genius. The reason I’m where I am is a little a luck but most of all, I did what I thought it would take to get me here. That’s all.”

Bam. It hit me like a ton of bricks. It was again affirmed to me – we’re all basically the same, rich or poor, successful or not, tall or short, old or young. What most differentiate those at the top from those who at the bottom are simply our actions. Some people take huge action on their goals and dreams because they believe they can do them. Some don’t. I just read somewhere a great quote that went something like this: It takes the same amount of energy to dream small or big. Why not dream big? While dreaming big doesn’t involve more energy, it does involve a bigger risk of failure. But don’t stop out of fear. Use failure as lesson, not a barrier.

Life isn’t always fair. Sometimes we’re dealt a bad hand and have huge obstacles to overcome. But if action is the number one thing separating us from where we truly want to be, then what action could you take each day to get you one step closer to your big dream?

The art of thinking about where you are and where you want to be is, I believe, the most important step in changing your life for the better. You have to take action on your plan once it’s made, but you have to work on designing it first. With that thought in mind, here are a few questions to help get you started…

The biggest factor to our happiness in life is the quality of our relationships. When our relationship with our God, spouse, friends and family are good, life tends to be good. When those same relationships suffer, we suffer. For instance, think about the last time you had a fight with your spouse. What kind of day did you have? I bet it wasn’t one of your better ones. What can you do right after reading this blog to make sure those who love you know how much you care? Just a few loving words, phone call or note may be all that’s needed to do this.

Something else that helps determine the quality of our lives is where we are in relation to where we want to be. The greater the distance between these two points, the higher the level of anxiety. That’s because what you’re actually experiencing doesn’t match your expectations. That’s can be very frustrating. We have all experienced times during which life threw us a curve ball and in the end, it was for the better. But, many of us have the potential to do and be much more than we are but we’re not taking the time to nurture our growth. To have a great life, it starts with creative thought then followed by planning and action. Like anything, it takes time, effort and energy. Don’t be afraid of that – complacency will keep you right where you are. If you like the way your life is, that’s fine. But if you get up each day frustrated and stressed with the way things are, it’s time to think for a change…

Let me give you an example. Yesterday, I saw a report that stated that the amount of unsecured debt (mostly from credit cards) is skyrocketing. This is happening in part because with the downturn in the housing market, fewer people have the opportunity to take out equity in their homes to meet their expenses. So, people are turning again to credit cards. Some are running up thousands of dollars in debt. Like the housing market crash, this trend could lead to a credit crisis. It’s predictable. The more households that try to fill the gap between their expenses and income, the deeper the hole they dig and the closer to bankruptcy they are. If this continues, watch for the rate of personal bankruptcies to rise over the next few quarters as more people get in over their heads (Rising gas prices won’t help this situation).

If you are in this trap, you’re going to have to make a plan to get off that track. Think about how you can either make more money or reduce your expenses, write down your plan and then take massive action on it. But again, you first have to think about what’s wrong and how you want to fix it. That’s step one. Start here and you’re well on your way. Don’t put it off. You can begin to change your life just by thinking. Pretty cool, huh?